Control system for platooning of vehicles

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a network control center that coordinates candidate vehicles suited for platooning based at least in part on the hours of service (HOS) requirements, customer constraints, and service time of each candidate vehicle. Further, the network control center may integrate a navigation system that incorporates one or more of the above factors to manage logistics associated with platooning vehicles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/431,347, entitled “Control System For Platooning Of Vehicles” andfiled Jun. 4, 2019, which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/806,468, entitled “Control System For Platooning OfVehicles” and filed Feb. 15, 2018, which is expressly incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to controlling thecooperative operation of vehicles, and more particularly, to controllingvehicle platooning.

Platooning refers to linking of two or more vehicles in a convoy, usingconnectivity technology and automated driving support systems. Duringplatooning, the vehicles may maintain a preset close distance betweeneach other when they are connected for at least portions of a journey(e.g., highway driving). In such systems, the vehicle at the head of theplatoon may act as the leader, with the vehicles behind reacting andadapting to changes in its movement. Platooning of commercial vehicles,such as trucks or tractor-trailers, may offer a number of benefits overconventional systems in terms of making road transport safer, cleaner,and more efficient. For example, truck platooning may lower fuelconsumption given that trucks can drive closer together and benefit fromreduced air-drag friction.

Recent developments in the truck platooning systems have focused oncommunication techniques to ensure that the vehicles, during platooning,maintain connectivity for proper distance and reactive automatedbraking. However, such systems generally operate with a presumption thatall vehicles, when initiating the platooning, are similarly situatedwith respect to hours of service (HOS) availability for driversassociated with the vehicles. For example, in the United States, currentHOS regulations limit the number of hours a driver of the commercialvehicle can work per day to a 14 hour on-duty period, including amaximum of 11 hours driving. In practical applications, similar HOSavailability between platooning candidate vehicles may not be frequentgiven that different drivers may be at different periods of “on-duty”time for any particular day. In such instances, if a vehicle with lowHOS availability for a driver is linked in a platooning convoy withother vehicles with greater HOS availability, the platooning convoy mayneed to cease or reorganize mid-route when one vehicle exhausts its HOSrequirements.

Additionally, when organizing a platooning convoy, the currentplatooning systems fail to consider factors such as pick-up and/ordelivery time constraints (e.g., when does a vehicle need to be at aparticular destination), actual service time (e.g., how long wouldloading/unloading of a vehicle take at the shipper facility that mayimpact availability of a candidate vehicle), or logistics (how far anyone vehicle can participate in platooning on a route). For instance,although a candidate vehicle may initially be suitable for beingincluded in a platooning convoy (e.g., by virtue of having equipmentneeded for platooning), the candidate vehicle may be an inefficientaddition to the platoon due to service and/or pick-up/delivery timeconstraints.

Thus, there is a need for improved control systems for organizing andnavigating a platooning convoy.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure solve the above-identified problem byimplementing a network control center that coordinates candidatevehicles suited for platooning based at least in part on the HOSrequirements, customer constraints, and service time of each candidatevehicle. Further, the network control center may integrate a navigationsystem that incorporates one or more of the above factors to managelogistics associated with platooning vehicles.

In one example, a method for managing fleet vehicles for platooning isdescribed. In some aspects, the method may include receiving, via acommunication network, a plurality of electronic signals conveying aplurality of vehicle information for a plurality of vehicles, eachvehicle information including at least a vehicle identifier of thevehicle, a driver identifier of a driver of the vehicle, available hoursof service (HOS) for each driver associated with the plurality ofvehicles, and vehicle location information, wherein the plurality ofvehicles are equipped with communication and safety systems thatfacilitate vehicle platooning. The method may further includeidentifying a first subset of the plurality of vehicles that arecandidates for platooning in a geographic area based on the plurality ofvehicle information. The method may also include selecting at least onesecond subset of vehicles to be included in at least one platooningconvoy from the first subset of the plurality of vehicles that arecandidates for platooning in the geographic area based in part on theavailable HOS for the each driver. The method may additionally includetransmitting, via the communication network, a platooning configurationto the at least one second subset of vehicles for initiating the atleast one platooning convoy.

In another example, a network-based control computer for controllingvehicles for platooning is disclosed. The network-based control computermay include a memory configured to store instructions, and a processorcommunicatively coupled with the memory. The processor may be configuredto be execute the instructions to receive, via a communication network,a plurality of electronic signals conveying a plurality of vehicleinformation for a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle informationincluding at least a vehicle identifier of the vehicle, a driveridentifier of a driver of the vehicle, available HOS for each driverassociated with the plurality of vehicles, and vehicle locationinformation, wherein the plurality of vehicles are equipped withcommunication and safety systems that facilitate vehicle platooning. Thenetwork-based control computer may further include instructions toidentify a first subset of the plurality of vehicles that are candidatesfor platooning in a geographic area based on the plurality of vehicleinformation, and select at least one second subset of vehicles to beincluded in at least one platooning convoy from the first subset of theplurality of vehicles that are candidates for platooning in thegeographic area based in part on the available HOS for the each driver.The network-based control computer may further include instructions totransmitting, via the communication network, a platooning configurationto the at least one second subset of vehicles for initiating the atleast one platooning convoy.

In another example, a non-transitory computer readable medium storinginstructions, executable by a processor of a computer device formanaging fleet vehicles for platooning are disclosed. The computerreadable medium may include instructions for receiving, via acommunication network, a plurality of electronic signals conveying aplurality of vehicle information for a plurality of vehicles, eachvehicle information including at least a vehicle identifier of thevehicle, a driver identifier of a driver of the vehicle, available HOSfor each driver associated with the plurality of vehicles, and vehiclelocation information, wherein the plurality of vehicles are equippedwith communication and safety systems that facilitate vehicleplatooning. The computer readable medium may further includeinstructions for identifying a first subset of the plurality of vehiclesthat are candidates for platooning in a geographic area based on theplurality of vehicle information, and selecting at least one secondsubset of vehicles to be included in at least one platooning convoy fromthe first subset of the plurality of vehicles that are candidates forplatooning in the geographic area based in part on the available HOS forthe each driver. The computer readable medium may further includeinstructions for transmitting, via the communication network, aplatooning configuration to the at least one second subset of vehiclesfor initiating the at least one platooning convoy.

The above presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects of thepresent disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of suchaspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplatedaspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements ofall aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of thepresent disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the moredetailed description that is presented later.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or moreaspects of the present disclosure comprise the features hereinafterfully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. Thefollowing description and the annexed drawings set forth in detailcertain illustrative features of the one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of thevarious ways in which the principles of various aspects of the presentdisclosure may be employed, and this description is intended to includeall such aspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed aspects of the present disclosure will hereinafter bedescribed in conjunction with the appended drawings, provided toillustrate and not to limit the disclosed aspects, wherein likedesignations denote like elements, where a dashed line may indicate anoptional element or action, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of example elements of a system inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are tables of example data collected and processed bythe network control center for facilitating platooning of vehicles inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example method for managing fleet vehiclesfor platooning in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a network-based controlcomputer (NCC) in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example computer device, such as an ELDand/or mobile device, associated with a vehicle in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Implementing an efficient vehicle platooning system, such as for fleetvehicles (e.g., trucks), extends beyond the first impression technicalissues associated with connectivity and automated driving supportsystems. Instead, a more holistic approach—as implemented in presentdisclosure—is needed in coordinating the logistics of organizing andnavigating the platooning convoy based in part on HOS requirements,customer constraints, and/or service time constraints, among otherfactors, of each candidate vehicle.

For example, in recent decades, significant attention has been called tothe issue of safety among truck drivers. In particular, the fact thatmany drivers may drive for long hours, and may thus be at a loweredsense of alertness, is thought to have contributed to a number ofhighway accidents and fatalities. Accordingly, such perception has ledto legislation and regulations that seek to determine how much and howoften a truck driver may drive, and dictate the amount and frequency ofrest periods. Generally, in order to comply with the legislation andregulations, truck drivers maintain an accurate driver log that recordstime periods when the driver is on-duty and driving, on-duty but notdriving, off-duty, and resting/sleeping. Based on such information, adriver may be able to determine his or her allowable hours of service(HOS) (e.g., a time value that the driver may be on-duty). In someexamples, HOS rules may require a trucker to take a 30-minute rest aftereight hours of driving, or to stop for a longer period after driving for11 hours. The fact that a truck may be part of a platooning convoy doesnot alleviate the need for a driver to comply with the federal HOSrequirements.

Thus, a truck platooning system that either fails to account for oroperates with a presumption that all vehicles, when initiating theplatooning, are similarly situated with respect to HOS availability fordrivers associated with the vehicles, may not provide a practicalsolution for the trucking industry. Similarly, logistic requirements foreach truck in the potential convoy may vary. For example, while a firstcandidate truck may have tight time constraints (e.g., needing to reacha destination within 24 hours), a second candidate truck may have alonger time availability (e.g., needing to reach a destination in 4-5days). Further, the availability of the one or more trucks to link forplatooning may vary based on the actual service time at the shippingfacility (e.g., loading or unloading the truck). Specifically, if theanticipated service time for a truck is beyond the time of the convoydeparture, that particular truck may not become available in time forthe convoy. Thus, a system is needed that not only accounts for HOSrequirements, but also considers when a vehicle needs to be at aparticular location of interest (e.g., destination) and the availabilityof the vehicle based on service time, when organizing a platooningconvoy of two or more trucks.

Aspects of the present disclosure solve the above-identified problem byimplementing a network-based control computer that coordinates candidatevehicles suited for platooning based at least in part on one or more offthe HOS requirements, customer constraints, and/or service time of eachcandidate vehicle. Further, the network-based control computer mayintegrate with a navigation system that incorporates one or more of theabove factors to manage logistics/routing associated with platooningvehicles.

Various aspects are now described in more detail with reference to theFIGS. 1-4. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident, however, thatsuch aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details.Additionally, the term “component” as used herein may be one of theparts that make up a system, may be hardware, firmware, and/or softwarestored on a computer-readable medium, and may be divided into othercomponents.

Various aspects are now described in more detail with reference to theFIGS. 1-4. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident, however, thatsuch aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details.Additionally, the term “component” as used herein may be one of theparts that make up a system, may be hardware, firmware, and/or softwarestored on a computer-readable medium, and may be divided into othercomponents.

The following description provides examples of implementations of thedescribed system based on the principles described herein, but it shouldbe understood that these examples are not intended to limit the scope ofthe claims. For instance, changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements discussed without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure. Also, various examples may omit, substitute, or addvarious procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, themethods described may be performed in an order different from thatdescribed, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also,features described with respect to some examples may be combined withother features described in other examples.

Referring to FIG. 1, in an aspect, a system 100 includes one or morecomputer devices, modules, and/or components for controlling vehiclesfor platooning. As used herein, the terms “module(s),” or “components”may be one of the parts that make up a device, may be hardware orsoftware or firmware, and may be divided into other modules and/ordistributed across one or more processors.

In an aspect, system 100 can comprise a network-based control computer(NCC) 112, such as at a network management center, configured tocommunicate with one or more vehicles 104 via a computer device 106(e.g., ELD and/or mobile device, etc.) located on each tractor 104 orassociated with each driver of each tractor 104. In some systems, thecomputer device 106 may be more than one device, such as an ELD that maycommunicate with the mobile device (e.g., a smart phone or an in-cabtelematics device). The system 100 may include one or more fleets ofvehicles 104. Typically, a fleet could include many tens, hundreds orthousands of vehicles. An example fleet is illustrated as having twovehicles 104. Each computer device 106 may include ELD functionalityconfigured to collect and transmit data associated with the driver tothe NCC 112. Also, in some implementations, each computer device 106and/or its ELD functionality can be configured to perform calculationsassociated with one or more fleet vehicles using any of the collecteddata. In some examples, the collected data may include the driver orvehicle data, such as but not limited to one or more of a vehicleidentification, a driver identification, the HOS information for thedriver, a location of the vehicle 104, and/or telematics informationassociated with the vehicle 104 and/or driver, which will becollectively referred to as “vehicle information 109.” In some examples,telematics is an interdisciplinary field that encompassestelecommunications, vehicular technologies, for instance, roadtransportation, road safety, electrical engineering (sensors,instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science(multimedia, Internet, etc.). To this end, the telematics technology mayinclude transmitting, receiving and storing information (e.g., vehicleand/or driver information) using telecommunication devices to controlremote objects such as control one or more applications and aspects ofthe vehicles (e.g., control the braking and engine of the vehicle).

In an example implementation, the one or more vehicles 104 may beequipped with the computer device 106 in the form of a mobile device incommunication with a separate ELD, where the mobile device may functionas an in-cab telematics device. In some instances, the mobile device maybe a smart phone or tablet configured to receive and process signals andinformation. In some instances, the ELD may be in communication with themobile device to allow the collected information to be displayed on themobile device. To this end, the computer device 106 in the form ofeither the ELD or the mobile device may include a platooning module 107to perform one or more functions of the present disclosure, includingcollecting and transmitting and receiving driver and/or vehicle data toand from a remote NCC 112 and/or configuring the vehicle to participatein a platooning convoy.

In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 5 below, the computer device106 may include a processor configured to execute one or more platooningmodules 107 and establish communication with external devices, such asNCC 112, via a communication network (e.g., a terrestrial orsatellite-based wireless network). The computer device 106 may alsoinclude a memory configured to store computer-readable code that maydefine all or part of the platooning module 107 and also to store dataassociated with the module, other components, and/or computer device106. The computer device 106 may also include a user interface ordisplay, a mobile application server, and a communications module (e.g.,including the one or more transceivers, and one or more of terrestrialand Wi-Fi modems, one or more antennae, a GPS and/or satellitecommunications modem).

As an example only, each vehicle 104 may be in bi-directionalcommunication via the computer device 106 with NCC 112 over at least onecommunication channel. In the example shown in FIG. 1, each vehicle 104is in bi-directional communication with the NCC 112 over at least one ofa satellite-based communication system 108 or a terrestrial-based system110 (e.g., a wireless communication system using a communicationprotocol/technology such as, but not limited to, 5G or New Radio, GSM,CDMA, TDMA, WCDMA, EDGE, OFDM, GPRS, EV-DO, LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth), or,when the vehicle is stopped, via a wired connection 113 through theInternet. In some cases, data may be exchanged with the vehicles 104using one or both of the satellite communication system 108 and theterrestrial-based communication system 110.

In an aspect, many different types of data are collected and transferredfrom the vehicles 104 to the NCC 112. Examples of such data include, butare not limited to, vehicle performance data, driver performance data,critical events, messaging and position data, location data, HOS dataand many other types of data, which may be collectively referred to asvehicle data 109. All of the information that is communicated to andfrom the vehicles 104 may be processed via the NCC 112. The NCC 112 canbe thought of as a data clearinghouse that receives all data that istransmitted to and received from the vehicles 104. In an aspect, NCC 112may include one or more back-end servers. Thus, in some aspects, thecollected information may periodically (e.g., every x minutes, where xis a whole number, or once a day, or upon availability of a wired orwireless connection) be transmitted from the computer device 106 to theNCC 112 for analysis and record keeping.

In some cases, the system 100 also may include a data center 116, whichmay be part of or in communication with NCC 112. The data center 116illustrates one possible implementation of a central repository for allof the data received from each of the vehicles 104. As an example, asmentioned above many different types of data are transmitted from thecomputer devices 106 associated with each of the vehicles 104 to the NCC112. In the case where data center 116 is in communication with NCC 112,the data may be transmitted via connection 111 to the data center 116.The connection 111 may comprise any wired or wireless dedicatedconnection, a broadband connection, or any other communication channelconfigured to transport the data. Moreover, in an aspect, data center116 may include one or more back-end servers analyzing the datatransmitted from the one or more computer devices 106. Additionally oralternatively, data may also be exchanged between the plurality ofcomputer devices 106 using, for example, peer-to-peer (P2P)communication without the involvement of the NCC 112.

In an aspect, the data center 116 may include a data warehouse 114 forreceiving the data from the computer device 106 relating to the vehicle104. In an aspect, for example, data center 116 may include any numberof application servers and data stores, where each may be associatedwith a separate fleet and/or driver management or performance data. Inan aspect, each application server and data store may include aprocessor, memory including volatile and non-volatile memory,specially-programmed operational software, a communication bus, aninput/output mechanism, and other operational systems. For example, anapplication server may be a services portal (SP) server that receives,for example, messaging and positioning (M/P) data from each of thevehicles 104. Another application server, for example only, may includeone or more servers related to safety and compliance, such as a quickdeployment center (QDC) server that receives, for example, criticalevent (CE) data from each of the vehicles 104. Further, for example,another application server may be vehicle and driver performance datarelated to HOS, fuel usage, and/or cost from each of the vehicles 104.It should be understood that the above list of example servers is forillustrative purposes only, and data center 116 may include additionaland/or different application servers.

According to the present aspects, the NCC 112 and/or the data center 116may include a platooning management module 120 for organizing androuting one or more vehicles 104 in a platoon convoy based in part onfactors such as HOS of the drivers, customer constraints (e.g., pick-upand/or delivery times), service time requirements, preferred routes,etc. For purposes of the present disclosure, customer constraints,service time requirements, and preferred routes, among other factors,may be broadly referred to as “logistics constraints.” The platooningmanagement module 120 may further include an HOS management module 125for determining the vehicles that may be candidates for platooning basedon whether the driver for the vehicle 104 satisfies an HOS threshold.Additionally, the HOS management module 125 may be in communication witha navigation module 130, which may calculate navigation routes, toaccount for when the vehicles 104 may need to stop for rest in order tomaintain compliance with federal HOS requirements. The navigation module130 may further calculate and provide instructions to one or morevehicles 104 as to when and where (time and location) that the vehicle104 needs to be in order to be linked up with the organized platooningconvoy. Additionally, the navigation module 130 may instruct the routeundertaken by the platooning convoy of two or more vehicles, and wheneach vehicle needs to “break off” or depart from the platooning convoyin order to travel to its intended destination. It should be noted thatalthough the HOS management module 125 and the navigation module 130may, in some implementations, be a part of the platooning managementmodule 120, in other implementations each of these components may be aseparate part of the NCC 112.

Thus, in some aspects, the NCC 112 may include receiving, via acommunication network, a plurality of electronic signals conveying aplurality of vehicle information for a plurality of vehicles, eachvehicle information including at least a vehicle identifier of thevehicle, a driver identifier of a driver of the vehicle, available HOSfor each driver associated with the plurality of vehicles, and vehiclelocation information, wherein the plurality of vehicles are equippedwith communication and safety systems that facilitate vehicleplatooning. The NCC may identify a first subset of the plurality ofvehicles that are candidates for platooning in a geographic area basedon the plurality of vehicle information, and select at least one secondsubset of vehicles to be included in at least one platooning convoy fromthe first subset of the plurality of vehicles that are candidates forplatooning in the geographic area based in part on the available HOS forthe each driver. The NCC 112 may further include transmitting, via thecommunication network, a platooning configuration to the at least onesecond subset of vehicles for initiating the at least one platooningconvoy.

In some aspect, the NCC 112 may further communicate with a terminaldevice 125, which can be a user interface portal, a web-based interface,a personal computer (PC), a laptop, a personal data assistant (PDA), asmart phone, a dedicated terminal, a dumb terminal, or any other deviceover which a user 126, such as a manager or operator responsible formonitoring a fleet of vehicles 104, may communicate.

In an aspect, the NCC 112 and/or the data center 116 may include aprocessor 132 and a memory 134 to respectively execute and storeinstructions and data associated the operation of the data center 116,such as to operate the platooning management module 120. Although shownas residing within the data center 116, the analysis engine may resideelsewhere, and may be implemented as a distributed system in which theprocessor 132 and the memory 134 may include one or more processor andmemories, and may be located in different places, such as at NCC 112and/or one or more servers associated with NCC 112 or data center 212.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, example data tables 200 include examplesof data generated by the NCC 112 for facilitating platooning of vehicles104 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In someexamples, the NCC 112 may maintain primary data table 201 that isestablished based on collected information (e.g., vehicle informationand/or HOS information (individually and collectively “vehicleinformation 109) from various entities and vehicles, including thecomputer 106 included in each vehicle 104. It should also be appreciatedthat the NCC 112 may configure platooning across different fleetoperators having different equipment. As such, features of the presentdisclosure are not limited to providing support for only vehicles thatare part of same fleet, but may be implemented across multiple fleets.

In some examples, the generated primary data table 201 may includevehicle identity (ID) 205, road segment ID 210, time segment 215, andaverage speed 220 of each vehicle 104 in a particular geographic areathat may be candidates for platooning. The vehicle ID 205 may beassociated with and/or referenced in conjunction with a vehicle lookuptable 202 that identifies each vehicle based in part on the fleet 225(e.g., trucking company) that the vehicle is part of, in addition to theoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM) 230 that may identify the type ofplatooning hardware that the vehicle may be equipped with.

The road segment ID 210 may be associated with and/or referenced inconjunction with a platooning road lookup table 203 that includes allplatoon authorized roads (e.g., the highways and freeways that may besuitable for platooning of trucks). The platooning road lookup table 203may be broken up into buckets that make it easy for the NCC 112 toidentify high-density truck areas. To this end, the platooning roadlookup table 203 may include a road segment ID 235, road name 240, state245, orientation 250, start mile 255, and end mile 255. Thus, based onthe platooning road lookup table 203, the NCC 112 may be able toidentify the location where platooning may be suitable (e.g., on 1-90,east bound in state of Washington from 0-40 mile markers).Identification of the road segments that may support platooning may beprovided to the computer devices 106 along with the routing information.

Further, referring to FIG. 2B, the time segment ID 215 of the primarydata table 201 may include time segment lookup table 204 withinformation related to times of day that segments of roads may havehigh-density truck times based on number of trucks generally on the roadat specific time period and average speed of the vehicles 106. In someexamples, the time segment table may be used to predict and recommendtrip start times that result in the greatest likelihood of trucksencountering a viable platoon partner. The bucketing technique may alsobe used in real time to track current and future truck densities,thereby decreasing the computation time needed to determine current andfuture platoon combinations between a plurality of trucks.

Referring to FIG. 3, one example of a method 300 for managing fleetvehicles for platooning in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure may be performed by the NCC 112 discussed withreference to FIG. 1.

At block 305, the method 300 may receiving, via a communication network,a plurality of electronic signals conveying a plurality of vehicleinformation for a plurality of vehicles. Each vehicle information mayinclude at least a vehicle identifier of the vehicle, a driveridentifier of a driver of the vehicle, available hours of service (HOS)for each driver associated with the plurality of vehicles, and vehiclelocation information. In some examples, the plurality of vehicles may beequipped with communication and safety systems that facilitate vehicleplatooning. Thus, in some instances, out of the entire fleet of vehicles(e.g., 500 vehicles), only a subset of vehicles may include thenecessary equipment (e.g., vehicle to everything (V2X) communicationcapabilities, automated braking system to react to the leader vehicle,etc.) to function in platooning convoy.

The presence or absence of platooning equipment may help the NCC 112narrow the list of platooning candidate vehicles that may be selectedfor platooning. In some examples, as discussed in detail below, the NCC112 may further narrow the list of candidate vehicles based in part onthe destination and preferred route (e.g., logistic constraints). Thus,in practice, the NCC 112 may only select vehicles for platooning thatare not only equipped with the requirement hardware, but may also betraveling the same direction. Aspects of block 305 may be performed bythe platooning management module 125 described with reference to FIG. 2.

Further, as part of NCC 112 receiving a plurality of electronic signalsconveying a plurality of vehicle information for a plurality ofvehicles, one such information may be available HOS for each driverassociated with the plurality of vehicles. The available HOS may bereceived from a computer device included in each of the plurality ofvehicles. In some examples, the HOS information may be collected by thecomputer device 106 included in each vehicle 104 and collectedinformation may periodically (e.g., every x minutes, where x is a wholenumber, or once a day, or upon availability of a wired or wirelessconnection) be transmitted from the computer device 106 to the NCC 112for analysis. In some examples, the collected information, including theHOS information may also be transferred over the communication link(e.g., cellular, satellite, or WiFi) to the NCC 112, and received at thecommunication component 415 (see FIG. 4). The HOS information may thenbe processed by the HOS management module 125 included at the NCC 112for filtering the candidate vehicles (see description with reference toblock 320 below) based at least in part on the HOS availability of eachdriver from the vehicles that are equipped with platooning complianthardware and are set to travel the same direction during a predeterminetime period (e.g., within the next 24 or 48 hours).

At block 310, the method 300 may include identifying a first subset ofthe plurality of vehicles that are candidates for platooning in ageographic area based on the plurality of vehicle information. Forexample, the NCC 112 may identify vehicles in a geographic area (e.g.,within 50 miles of a point-of-interest) that may be equipped withnecessary platooning equipment. Specifically, as discussed above, eachvehicle 104 may be in bi-directional communication via the computerdevice 106 with NCC 112 over at least one communication channel. To thisend, data—including vehicle location information of each vehicle—may beexchanged from the vehicles 104 to the NCC 112 using one or both of thesatellite communication system 108 and/or the terrestrial-basedcommunication system 110. The vehicle location information of eachvehicle may allow the NCC 112 to establish a geographic area (e.g.,setting a geographic area of 50 miles) in order to filter and identifythe vehicles that may be within the set geographic area.

At block 315, the method 300 may optionally include determining logisticconstraints for the plurality of vehicles. Specifically, to identify thelogistic constraints, the NCC 112 may access a database that maintainslogistic constraints associated with the plurality of vehicles. Thelogistic constraints may include one or more of customer timerequirements, parking availability constraints, service time, ornavigation route for the plurality of vehicles. Based on the informationretrieved from the database, the NCC 112 may identify the logisticconstraints of each vehicle of the first subset of the plurality ofvehicles and select the at least one second subset of vehicles from thefirst subset of the plurality of vehicles based on a determination thatthe logistic constraints of the at least one second subset of vehiclesare compatible for the at least one platooning convoy. Thus, if the NCC112 determines that the customer time requirements (e.g., deliverytimeline) does not allow for reasonable variation (e.g., 1-2 extradays), the NCC 112 may determine to exclude one or more vehicles 104that would otherwise be available for platooning. Additionally oralternatively, based on the customer time requirements, the NCC 112 mayconfigure a navigation route that allows one or more vehicles toparticipate in the platooning convoy for a portion of the route, andthen “break off” or cease participation in the platooning convoy for theremaining trip. As such, the one or more vehicles 104 would benefit fromthe safety and lower fuel consumption by participating in the platooningconvoy for a portion of the convoy, while complying with the customertime constraints. Similarly, with respect to the parking availabilityconstraints, the NCC 112 may calculate the distance that each vehicle inthe platooning convoy may be able to travel within the available HOSthat may be remaining for each driver. In addition, the NCC 112 mayidentify one or more available parking or rest stops along thenavigation route that the convoy would be able to reach within theavailable HOS as an additional criteria in selecting and planning theplatooning convoy route. Aspects of block 315 may be performed by theplatooning management module 125 described with reference to FIG. 1.

At block 320, the method 300 may include selecting at least one secondsubset of vehicles to be included in at least one platooning convoy fromthe first subset of the plurality of vehicles that are candidates forplatooning in the geographic area based in part on the available HOS forthe each driver. In some examples, selecting the at least one secondsubset of vehicles may include determining whether the available HOS foreach driver associated with the plurality of vehicles satisfies a HOSthreshold (e.g., if the available HOS exceed or are less than 10drivable hours remaining). The method may include selecting the at leastone second subset of vehicles to be included in the platooning convoyfrom the first subset of the plurality of vehicles based on determiningthat the available HOS for each driver of the at least one second subsetof vehicles exceeds the HOS threshold. In other examples, the method mayinclude excluding one or more vehicles from the first subset of theplurality of vehicles that are candidates for platooning convoy based ondetermining that the available HOS for the one or more vehicles is lessthan the HOS threshold. Aspects of block 320 may be performed by theplatooning management module 125 described with reference to FIG. 1.

At block 325, the method 300 may include transmitting, via thecommunication network, a platooning configuration to the at least onesecond subset of vehicles for initiating the at least one platooningconvoy. In some examples, the method may include determining, at the NCC112, a time that each vehicle in the second subset of vehicles needs toreach a location of interest, and organizing the platooning convoy basedat least in part on determining the time. The location of interest mayinclude one or more of destination location, intermediate location, reststop, or parking location. In some aspects, organizing the platooningconvoy may include the ordering the vehicles in a particular order(e.g., which vehicle acts as a lead vehicle, and which vehicle as thefollowing vehicle). In some aspects, the organization may be based onthe length of time the vehicle will participate in the platooning convoyprior to “breaking off” For example, if a vehicle will only beparticipating in 30% of the entire platooning journey (or would need tobreak off first to continue its journey separately), the NCC 112 mayorganize the platooning convoy to order the said vehicle to the back ofthe platooning convoy such that the vehicle can cease participation inthe platooning convoy from the back of the convoy without affecting therest of the convoy. Aspects of block 325 may be performed by platooningmanagement module 125 and the navigation module 130 described withreference to FIG. 1.

Further, the method 300 may optionally include determining a navigationroute for the platooning convoy. In some examples, the NCC 112 maytransmit the navigation route to the subset of vehicles in theplatooning convoy (e.g., to the electronic logging devices or computerdevice 107) via the communication component 415 described with referenceto FIG. 1. In some examples, the method may include determining a lengthof the navigation route that each vehicle in the subset of vehiclesremains with the platooning convoy, and transmitting instructions toeach vehicle in the subset of vehicles notifying of the length of thenavigation route that each vehicle remains as part of the platooningconvoy. Further, aspects of block 330 may be performed by the navigationmodule 130 described with reference to FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, in an example that should not be construed aslimiting, the NCC 112, may include additional components that operate inconjunction with platooning management module 120 and may be implementedin specially programmed computer readable instructions or code,firmware, hardware, or some combination thereof.

In an aspect, for example, features described herein with respect to thefunctions of platooning management module 120 may be implemented in orexecuted using one or any combination of processor 132, memory 134,communications module 415, and data store 420. For example, platooningmanagement module 120 may be defined or otherwise programmed as one ormore processor modules of processor 132. Further, for example,platooning management module 120 may be defined as a computer-readablemedium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) stored inmemory 134 and/or data store 420 and executed by processor 132.Moreover, for example, inputs and outputs relating to operations ofplatooning management module 120 may be provided or supported bycommunications module 415, which may provide a bus between the modulesof NCC 112 or an interface for communication with external devices ormodules.

Processor 132 can include a single or multiple set of processors ormulti-core processors. Moreover, processor 132 can be implemented as anintegrated processing system and/or a distributed processing system.Memory 134 may operate to allow storing and retrieval of data usedherein and/or local versions of applications and/or software and/orinstructions or code being executed by processor 132, such as to performthe respective functions of platooning management module 120 describedherein. Memory 134 can include any type of memory usable by a computer,such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), tapes,magnetic discs, optical discs, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, andany combination thereof.

Communications module 415 is operable to establish and maintaincommunications with one or more internal components/modules or externaldevices utilizing hardware, software, and services as described herein.Communications component 415 may carry communications between modules onNCC 112, as well as between user and external devices, such as deviceslocated across a communications network and/or devices serially orlocally connected to NCC 112. For example, communications component 415may include one or more buses, and may further include transmit chainmodules and receive chain modules associated with a transmitter andreceiver, respectively, or a transceiver, operable for interfacing withexternal devices.

Additionally, data store 420, which can be any suitable combination ofhardware and/or software, which provides for mass storage ofinformation, databases, and programs employed in connection with aspectsdescribed herein. For example, data store 420 may be a data repositoryfor applications not currently being executed by processor 232.

The NCC 112 may additionally include a user interface module 425operable to receive inputs from a user, and further operable to generateoutputs for presentation to the user. User interface module 425 mayinclude one or more input devices, including but not limited to akeyboard, a number pad, a mouse, a touch-sensitive display, a navigationkey, a function key, a microphone, a voice recognition module, any othermechanism capable of receiving an input from a user, or any combinationthereof. Further, user interface module 425 may include one or moreoutput devices, including but not limited to a display, a speaker, ahaptic feedback mechanism, a printer, any other mechanism capable ofpresenting an output to a user, or any combination thereof.

Referring to FIG. 5, in an example that should not be construed aslimiting, the computer device 106, may include additional componentsthat operate in conjunction with platooning module 107 and may beimplemented in specially programmed computer readable instructions orcode, firmware, hardware, or some combination thereof. In some examples,the computer device 106 may be included or mounted within (or outside)of each vehicle 104 in order to collect vehicle and driver data, andmaintaining communication with the remote NCC 112.

In an aspect, for example, features described herein with respect to thefunctions of platooning module 107 may be implemented in or executedusing one or any combination of processor 505, memory 510,communications module 515, and data store 520. For example, platooningmodule 107 may be defined or otherwise programmed as one or moreprocessor modules of processor 505. Further, for example, platooningmodule 107 may be defined as a computer-readable medium (e.g., anon-transitory computer-readable medium) stored in memory 510 and/ordata store 520 and executed by processor 505. Moreover, for example,inputs and outputs relating to operations of platooning module 107 maybe provided or supported by communications module 515, which may providea bus between the modules of computer device 106 or an interface forcommunication with external devices or modules (e.g., NCC 112).

In some aspects, the platooning module 107 may of the computer device106 may be configured to transmit, via a communication network, aplurality of electronic signals (e.g., vehicle information 109)conveying a plurality of vehicle information for the vehicle 104. Eachvehicle information may include one or more of a vehicle identifier ofthe vehicle, a driver identifier of a driver of the vehicle, availableHOS for each driver associated with the plurality of vehicles, and/orvehicle location information. In some examples, the platooning module107 may further identify to the NCC 112 whether the vehicle is equippedwith communication and safety systems that facilitate vehicleplatooning. The platooning module 107 may further provide NCC 112information associate with logistic constraints that may be associatedwith the vehicle 106 and/or the driver. In some examples, the logisticconstraints may include one or more of a customer time requirement, aparking availability constraint, a service time constraint, or anavigation route for the plurality of vehicles. The platooning module107 may further provide information such as a destination location, anintermediate location, a rest stop, or a parking location (individuallyand collectively, “location of interest”) that the vehicle 106 and/orthe driver need to reach within a time period (e.g., if the driver willbe running out of available HOS within 4 hours, the platooning module107 may locate a parking location or rest stop where the vehicle maystop prior to the expiration of the available HOS).

The platooning module 107, in some examples, may receive, via thecommunication network, a platooning configuration 110 for initiating theat least one platooning convoy with at least one additional vehicle 106.The platooning configuration 110 may provide information to the vehicle106 of the location where the platooning convoy would be initiated andthe time at which the vehicles will form the platooning convoy.Additionally, the platooning configuration 110 may provide informationassociated to the order that trucks would be organized (e.g., based onvehicle position within the platooning convoy), the route for theplatooning convoy to take to reach a destination, and how long thevehicle would remain part of the platooning convoy.

Processor 505 can include a single or multiple set of processors ormulti-core processors. Moreover, processor 505 can be implemented as anintegrated processing system and/or a distributed processing system.Memory 510 may operate to allow storing and retrieval of data usedherein and/or local versions of applications and/or software and/orinstructions or code being executed by processor 505, such as to performthe respective functions of platooning module 107 described herein.Memory 510 can include any type of memory usable by a computer, such asrandom access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), tapes, magneticdiscs, optical discs, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and anycombination thereof.

Communications module 515 is operable to establish and maintaincommunications with one or more internal components/modules or externaldevices utilizing hardware, software, and services as described herein.Communications component 515 may carry communications between themodules on the computer device 106, as well as between user and externaldevices, such as devices located across a communications network and/ordevices serially or locally connected to computer device 106. Forexample, communications component 515 may include one or more buses, andmay further include transmit chain modules and receive chain modulesassociated with a transmitter and receiver, respectively, or atransceiver, operable for interfacing with external devices.

Additionally, data store 520, which can be any suitable combination ofhardware and/or software, which provides for mass storage ofinformation, databases, and programs employed in connection with aspectsdescribed herein. For example, data store 520 may be a data repositoryfor applications not currently being executed by processor 505.

The computer device 106 may additionally include a user interface module525 operable to receive inputs from a user, and further operable togenerate outputs for presentation to the user. User interface module 525may include one or more input devices, including but not limited to akeyboard, a number pad, a mouse, a touch-sensitive display, a navigationkey, a function key, a microphone, a voice recognition module, any othermechanism capable of receiving an input from a user, or any combinationthereof. Further, user interface module 525 may include one or moreoutput devices, including but not limited to a display, a speaker, ahaptic feedback mechanism, a printer, any other mechanism capable ofpresenting an output to a user, or any combination thereof.

In view of the disclosure above, one of ordinary skill in programming isable to write computer code or identify appropriate hardware and/orcircuits to implement the disclosed invention without difficulty basedon the flow charts and associated description in this specification, forexample. Therefore, disclosure of a particular set of program codeinstructions or detailed hardware devices is not considered necessaryfor an adequate understanding of how to make and use the invention. Theinventive functionality of the claimed computer implemented processes isexplained in more detail in the above description and in conjunctionwith the FIGS. 1-4 which may illustrate various process flows.

As used in this description, the terms “module,” “components,”“database,” “module,” “system,” and the like are intended to refer to acomputer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination ofhardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example,a module may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on aprocessor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both anapplication running on a computing device and the computing device maybe a module. One or more modules may reside within a process and/orthread of execution, and a module may be localized on one computerand/or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, thesemodules may execute from various computer readable media having variousdata structures stored thereon. The modules may communicate by way oflocal and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal havingone or more data packets (e.g., data from one module interacting withanother module in a local system, distributed system, and/or across anetwork such as the Internet with other systems by way of the signal).

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readablemedium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media andcommunication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of acomputer program from one place to another. A storage media may be anyavailable media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example,and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM,EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used tocarry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that may be accessed by a computer.

Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. Forexample, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or otherremote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,digital subscriber line (“DSL”), or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber opticcable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared,radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk anddisc, as used herein, includes compact disc (“CD”), laser disc, opticaldisc, digital versatile disc (“DVD”), floppy disk and blue-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media.

Although selected aspects have been illustrated and described in detail,it will be understood that various substitutions and alterations may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention, as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method executable by a network-based controlcomputer for controlling vehicles for platooning, comprising: receiving,via a communication network, a plurality of electronic signals conveyinga plurality of vehicle information for a plurality of vehicles, eachvehicle information comprises at least a vehicle identifier of thevehicle and vehicle location information, wherein the plurality ofvehicles are equipped with communication and safety systems thatfacilitate vehicle platooning; identifying a first subset of theplurality of vehicles that are candidates for platooning in a geographicarea based on the plurality of vehicle information and the plurality ofvehicles equipped with communication and safety systems that facilitatevehicle platooning; selecting at least one second subset of vehicles tobe included in at least one platooning convoy from the first subset thatare candidates for platooning in the geographic area based in part onlogistic constraints for each vehicle identified in the first subset;and transmitting, via the communication network, a platooningconfiguration to the at least one second subset of vehicles forinitiating the at least one platooning convoy, whereby the vehicles inthe second subset of vehicles form at least one platooning convoy inaccordance with the transmitted platooning configuration.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one second subset of vehiclesto be included in the at least one platooning convoy comprises:accessing a database that includes logistic constraints associated withthe plurality of vehicles, identifying the logistic constraints of eachvehicle of the first subset of the plurality of vehicles; and selectingthe at least one second subset of vehicles from the first subset of theplurality of vehicles based on a determination that the logisticconstraints of the at least one second subset of vehicles are compatiblefor the at least one platooning convoy
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe logistic constraints include a navigation route for the plurality ofvehicles and one or more of a customer time requirement, a parkingavailability constraint, or a service time constraint.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining a time that each vehicle in theat least one second subset of vehicles needs to reach a location ofinterest; and organizing the platooning convoy based at least in part ondetermining the time.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location ofinterest includes one or more of a destination location, an intermediatelocation, a rest stop, or a parking location.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein transmitting the platooning configuration to the at least onesecond subset of vehicles for initiating the at least one platooningconvoy comprises: determining a navigation route for the platooningconvoy; and transmitting the navigation route to the at least one secondsubset of vehicles in the platooning convoy.
 7. The method of claim 6,further comprising: determining a length of the navigation route thateach vehicle in the at least one second subset of vehicles remains withthe platooning convoy; and transmitting instructions to each vehicle inthe at least one second subset of vehicles notifying of the length ofthe navigation route that each vehicle remains as part of the platooningconvoy.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein each vehicle informationfurther comprises a driver identifier of a driver.
 9. A network-basedcontrol computer for controlling vehicles for platooning, comprising: amemory configured to store instructions; and a processor communicativelycoupled with the memory, the processor configured to execute theinstructions to: receive, via a communication network, a plurality ofelectronic signals conveying a plurality of vehicle information for aplurality of vehicles, each vehicle information including at least avehicle identifier of the vehicle and vehicle location information,wherein the plurality of vehicles are equipped with communication andsafety systems that facilitate vehicle platooning; identify a firstsubset of the plurality of vehicles that are candidates for platooningin a geographic area based on the plurality of vehicle information andthe plurality of vehicles equipped with communication and safety systemsthat facilitate vehicle platooning; select at least one second subset ofvehicles to be included in at least one platooning convoy from the firstsubset that are candidates for platooning in the geographic area basedin part on logistic constraints for each vehicle identified in the firstsubset; and transmit, via the communication network, a platooningconfiguration to the at least one second subset of vehicles forinitiating the at least one platooning convoy, whereby the vehicles inthe second subset of vehicles form at least one platooning convoy inaccordance with the transmitted platooning configuration.
 10. Thenetwork-based control computer of claim 9, wherein the instructions toselect the at least one second subset of vehicles to be included in theat least one platooning convoy are further configured to be executed to:access a database that includes logistic constraints associated with theplurality of vehicles, identify the logistic constraints of each vehicleof the first subset of the plurality of vehicles; and select the atleast one second subset of vehicles from the first subset of theplurality of vehicles based on a determination that the logisticconstraints of the at least one second subset of vehicles are compatiblefor the at least one platooning convoy.
 11. The network-based controlcomputer of claim 9, wherein the logistic constraints include anavigation route for the plurality of vehicles and one or more of acustomer time requirement, a parking availability constraint, or aservice time constraint.
 12. The network-based control computer of claim9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute theinstructions to: determine a time that each vehicle in the at least onesecond subset of vehicles needs to reach a location of interest; andorganize the platooning convoy based at least in part on determining thetime.
 13. The network-based control computer of claim 12, wherein thelocation of interest includes one or more of a destination location, anintermediate location, a rest stop, or a parking location.
 14. Thenetwork-based control computer of claim 9, wherein the instructions totransmit the platooning configuration to the at least one second subsetof vehicles for initiating the at least one platooning convoy arefurther configured to be executed to: determine a navigation route forthe platooning convoy; and transmit the navigation route to the at leastone second subset of vehicles in the platooning convoy.
 15. Thenetwork-based control computer of claim 14, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute the instructions to: determine a length ofthe navigation route that each vehicle in the at least one second subsetof vehicles remains with the platooning convoy; and transmitinstructions to each vehicle in the at least one second subset ofvehicles notifying of the length of the navigation route that eachvehicle remains as part of the platooning convoy.
 16. The network-basedcontrol computer of claim 9, wherein each vehicle information furthercomprises a driver identifier of a driver.
 17. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing instructions, executable by a processor of anetwork-based control computer for controlling vehicles for platooning,comprising instructions for: receiving, via a communication network, aplurality of electronic signals conveying a plurality of vehicleinformation for a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle informationcomprises at least a vehicle identifier of the vehicle and vehiclelocation information, wherein the plurality of vehicles are equippedwith communication and safety systems that facilitate vehicleplatooning; identifying a first subset of the plurality of vehicles thatare candidates for platooning in a geographic area based on theplurality of vehicle information and the plurality of vehicles equippedwith communication and safety systems that facilitate vehicleplatooning; selecting at least one second subset of vehicles to beincluded in at least one platooning convoy from the first subset thatare candidates for platooning in the geographic area based in part onlogistic constraints for each vehicle identified in the first subset;and transmitting, via the communication network, a platooningconfiguration to the at least one second subset of vehicles forinitiating the at least one platooning convoy, whereby the vehicles inthe second subset of vehicles form at least one platooning convoy inaccordance with the transmitted platooning configuration.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein selectingthe at least one second subset of vehicles to be included in the atleast one platooning convoy further include instructions for: accessinga database that includes logistic constraints associated with theplurality of vehicles, identifying the logistic constraints of eachvehicle of the first subset of the plurality of vehicles; and selectingthe at least one second subset of vehicles from the first subset of theplurality of vehicles based on a determination that the logisticconstraints of the at least one second subset of vehicles are compatiblefor the at least one platooning convoy
 19. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 17, wherein the logistic constraints include anavigation route for the plurality of vehicles and one or more of acustomer time requirement, a parking availability constraint, or aservice time constraint.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 17, wherein each vehicle information further comprises a driveridentifier of a driver.